Please, Be My Hero
by Believe4Ever
Summary: Jack Frost is back in high school, but no longer has his friends' protection. He of course is anxious to be getting back, worried that bullying will push him to the limit but he will be without his guardians; without his hero. But will he end up having to be the hero to someone else, instead? *Sequel of Transforming a Loner*
1. Chapter 1

**I want to thank ALL of you who have found this story so interesting and have stuck with it all this time. It makes me very happy to know that I have fans that enjoy my fan fictions. I wanted to tell Ren O'neil that I checked out Hero by Superchick, and I loved it. In fact, much of this story's ideas came to me while I was listening to that song, so thank you for telling me about it. I hope that you all enjoy the first chapter of the sequel. (I hope I didn't mess it up!)**

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Fear clenched at Jack as he gazed up at his school from the parking lot. He had just arrived at school after the fifteen minute walk and he suddenly felt very anxious. Seeing the school again just reminded him that his four friends were no longer going to the school. He was reminded of all the bullying, the teasing, the beatings, the lies, the harsh words . . .

"I can't do this," he whispered, body frozen stiff.

"Yes you can, mate."

Jack looked back to see his friends, who had walked him to school that day. Aster Bunnymund, Toothiana Middleton, Andy Sanderson, and Christopher St. North. The four people who stuck with him last year and who had graduated. He gulped hard and shook his head nervously.

The Australian stepped forward and gave a small smile. His hands reached up and untied his bandana from his neck. He held it out to Jack. "Here."

The new sophomore's eyes widened and he glanced up at Aster. "Look, kangaroo . . . I can't take this."

"Take it. Just for today."

"I—"

Aster sighed and shoved it into Jack's hand. "This is a reminder of what you went through last year. But it's also a reminder that we're always here for you, through bad and worse." He squeezed Jack's hands. "Today is going to be fine."

Jack nodded, though didn't look so convinced. That's when Tooth walked up and took off one of her sparkly bracelets and slipped it onto Jack's wrist. "This is to remind you to be yourself, even if it's very out there and ridiculous, like me." Another one of her embarrassed giggles. "After all, you have your original look back." Jack smiled, remembering how he had dyed his hair white again and continued to wear the blue contacts. He had grown used to the appearance.

North picked up the sophomore—which wasn't very hard to do since North had grown _again _over the summer and towered over them all. He pressed his face close to Jack's, eyes wide and piercing. Jack gulped, feeling a little uncomfortable. Then the graduate laughed and set Jack down. "That is to remind you of the wonder that is in your heart. The wonder that you reminded me I had!"

The sophomore smiled slightly at that. When Sandy pulled on his sleeve, the sophomore looked down at his tiny friend. Sandy held out a small pouch, with a tiny card. Jack took it and read the card:

_This is a bag of Dream Sand. Whenever you have a wish, or a dream you want to come true, you take a small pinch of it in your hand and think the wish. Then you blow it out of your hand into the air. It should come true._

Jack gave a small chuckle. "Thanks, Sandy." He opened the bag to reveal a small amount of white sand—probably from the 'Sandilands'—and he proceeded to take out a pinch. "I wish today will be a good start to a great year." He blew on the sand and it expelled into the air. Sandy grinned wide.

"You _are _going to have a good day, Jack!" Tooth insisted. The sophomore nodded. "And Aster is going to pick you up today."

"That's right, mate," the Australian agreed.

"Good." Jack smiled. "You guys are so awesome."

()()()

He shuffled through the halls. The bag of Dream Sand was securely tucked in his backpack, the bracelet on his wrist, and the bandana in his pocket. He kept reminding himself that today was going to be a good day. Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. That's when he heard it.

The whispers.

Jack's blood ran cold. This was too familiar. The whispers were going to turn everyone against him. How did Pitch start it up again? Why didn't anyone try to stop it this time . . .?

"Hey, Frost!" came the deep voice a senior.

The sophomore took another deep breath and tried to hold in his anxiety. He slowly turned around. "Yes?" His voice was stupidly quiet.

The senior smiled and gave Jack's back a friendly slap. "Good to see you. I saw you at graduation last year. Nasty guy that Pitch was, huh?"

"Y . . . Yeah."

As the senior left Jack watched in amazement. Soon more people greeted him. They apologized for being rude the year previous. They wished him luck. They told him what a good person he was. It wasn't long before Jack was crying.

But not from pain; from joy.

()()()

By lunch many people had told Jack that he could sit with them during lunch period, but in all honesty he didn't know who to sit with. He didn't feel like sitting with those older than him, who had made fun of him or distrusted him last year. As he scanned the lunchroom, he couldn't even find an empty seat. Shrugging, he went outside to the courtyard where many people ate as well.

That's when he saw a girl sitting alone at one of the tables.

He recognized her from the last year. She had been a freshman like him. Though he didn't remember much else about her, he recognized the way she was sitting. She was sitting much like he used to sit: alone, hunched over her food, that bored look on her face, and her backpack in front of her on the table like it was a kind of protection.

"Let's make new friends," he murmured to himself as he walked over to the table.

He slid onto the bench and set his tray down. She barely glanced up at him. Now that he was closer, he was able to make more of her appearance. She had golden blonde hair and green-blue eyes which he barely caught a glimpse of. She was wearing a light long sleeved shirt whose sleeves looked silky. She had clean jeans and worn out Converse shoes.

"Hi," he greeted. She didn't answer. "I'm Jack Frost. I think we're in the same grade together. What's your name?"

"You don't need to know," she muttered, swallowing the last of her pizza.

Jack bit his lip. Was he ever this withdrawn? "Hey, it's not like I'm going to hurt you." He reached across the table to put a hand on her arm comfortingly. "I just want to—"

At his touch her arm jerked back and she gave him a piercing glare. "BUZZ OFF!" She stood abruptly and threw her black backpack over her shoulder and left quickly, grumbling to herself.

Jack watched her storm off with surprise. He didn't expect her to lash out like that. Had he ever done something like that? He pondered while he finished his lunch. Before the bell rang Jack got up and went to put back his tray when a tiny boy—freshman, perhaps?—bumped into him, nearly making Jack drop the tray.

"Sorry," the boy mumbled as he continued through the crowd. Jack glanced back but already lost sight of the boy. The sophomore hadn't even noticed him until they made contact. A wallflower? Most likely.

"Why did I never notice these kinds of people?" Jack mumbled.

()()()

"What's going through your head, Frostbite?" Aster asked as he glanced at Jack. The young boy hadn't said a word since the graduate picked him up and Aster was worried something happened at school.

"Just thinking." Jack stared out the window as the trees of the forest passed by.

"About what?"

"Some kids I saw at school today."

The Australian peered at his friend. "Did they bully you?"

"No. In fact, no one bullied me. A lot of people apologized for their actions last year. But, anyway, these kids . . . they were like me."

"Like you?"

"Well . . . This one girl was sitting alone at lunch but when I tried to join her she just yelled at me and left."

"Sounds like when we first tried to talk to you."

"Yeah . . . And this other boy, I didn't even notice him until he accidentally bumped into me. I thought I'd notice people since I'd been through something like that, but I didn't . . . He was a wallflower." Jack sighed and sank deep into the seat. "I don't want people to be like that, you know? I want to help them."

Aster smiled as he turned into the orphanage's driveway. "You're a good kid, Jack. I'm sure you will."

Jack told Aster goodbye and went to his room. He was too tired after school to play with the other kids that day. Instead he flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The blue sweatshirt he always wore rode up his chest, revealing the bruising, the cuts . . . the burns. Jack sighed as he slid the clothing back over his body.

"How can I help people when I couldn't even help myself?"

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**Please review! I'd really like your opinion on the start of the story. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please review and enjoy.**

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Jack glanced around campus, trying to find a glimpse of the two students he'd seen the day before. That's when he saw the girl sitting against the wall, waiting for the bell to ring to signal the start of class.

"Hey," he greeted as he walked over. She glanced up at him with a cold stare.

"Didn't I tell you to buzz off yesterday?"

"Um, yeah. About that, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you or make you feel uncomfortable. I was just trying to find out your name and I guess I pushed you too far? Anyway, I'm really sorry. I just wanted to know who it was I was talking to."

"The name is Summer Lakeshore; now lay off, will you?"

Jack gave a nod and quickly retreated, wary of her tone of voice. She had that certain snarky attitude and sharp tongue that made you want to step back a few feet. Now that he had at least found out the bare minimum of information about her, he focused on finding the wallflower boy.

The sophomore scoured the school, being especially attentive of his surroundings, but found nothing. Between every class he'd look around him thoroughly and still not see even a glance of the boy. By the time lunch had rolled around he had nearly given up about finding the child in the thousand-something students.

On pure coincidence, the boy ended up finding Jack.

The young boy nearly bumped into Jack again as the sophomore was going to put his tray back. He had started going around Jack when he was stopped. The boy looked up at Jack, keeping his eyes hidden, however. He was wearing a black jacket with the hood thrown up over his head and still had his long brown bangs over his eyes. The whole outfit he was wearing was black and of a dark essence.

"Hey, uh, sorry." Jack let go of the boy's arm, which he had grabbed to stop him. "I had seen you yesterday and I didn't manage to ask your name. Mine is Jack Frost, by the way. I'm a sophomore." When the boy didn't offer any information back, Jack pressed with, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Jakob," the boy answered. "With a K."

"Jakob what?"

"Jakob Lantern."

"You a freshman?"

The boy nodded.

Jack smiled, grateful to get something out of the boy. At least this freshman had been more willing to talk than Summer. "Well it's nice to meet you." Jakob only nodded before he turned to leave again. "And you can always sit with me at lunch. If you want. I sit out here all the time."

The freshman didn't move and almost seemed surprised at the invitation. Then he mumbled a thank you and continued walking back into the cafeteria.

The last classes of the day went by like a breeze for Jack, especially since he was happy to meet some new people in his school. He was still unsure about them, though. The freshman seemed much put off, though he would speak more to Jack. Summer just seemed angry at everything.

"Oh well," he mumbled as he wandered down the halls. Most people were gone; having fled the school instantaneously after the release bell rang. "It'll take time."

He rounded a corner, heading for the back exit of the school that led to the parking lot towards the orphanage, when he saw a sight he had known all too well, though he was usually on the receiving end of the ordeal.

A young boy with spiked auburn hair and tan skin was being cornered against the wall by a variety of people, all large and had mean faces. His eyes were glancing from person to person nervously and his body was pressed up against the wall as if he wished he could just sink into it.

"How ya doin', Fall?" the larger African American boy hissed, chuckling to himself as the boy squirmed in anxiety.

"Please, just let me go home," the victim whispered, glancing around for a way out of the blockade of boys.

"Why?" another boy asked. This one looked like a junior, with a large build—football player, no doubt—and slicked back blonde hair. This was the kind of sight that made Jack's blood boil. The kid was the charismatic football player by day and after school he was the classic bully. "You didn't give us the usual protection payment."

"I don't g-get much money for lunch . . ."

"That's too bad," a third boy giggled. He had a deep tan and black hair that fell to his shoulders.

"Hey!" Jack barked, arms crossing and his teeth gritted. He was absolutely fuming. The three boys looked back.

"Who's he?" the African American asked.

"He's the Frost boy," the blonde answered. "Y'know, the one who stopped Pitch."

"This shrimp?"

Jack tapped his foot impatiently. "Yes, _this shrimp. _Now if you don't mind, leave this kid alone and go home."

The black-haired boy scoffed. "Why should we?"

"Because I could tell the principal about this bullying act. You think he'll take it lightly after last year?"

The blonde seemed to pale a little and he nodded to his buddies to get a move on. They soon left with the blonde muttering to them about what great influence he had due to last year's events.

When they were gone, Jack looked back to the auburn-haired boy with a kind expression. "You okay?"

"I guess," the boy mumbled, shifting his backpack's weight to his other shoulder.

"Do they bully you a lot?"

"No. This doesn't happen a lot."

"Really?"

The boy looked up to Jack and they held each others' gaze for a moment. Jack noted that the boy had beautiful sepia colored eyes with golden and almost orange-ish flecks floating around the color. Then the boy looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The sophomore wasn't completely convinced. "Well, I'm Jack Frost. Would you mind telling me your name?"

After a moment of unsure pause, the boy replied, "Michael Derek Fall. You can call me Mike or whatever."

"Well if you ever need anything, you can come find me. I don't tolerate bullies."

"Yeah, thanks." Then Mike left without a word. Quickly.

Jack sighed. He couldn't believe the amount of things going on that he had never realized. There was still bullying, No-Bullying Policy or not. And there were people who were so shy or so withdrawn it was ridiculous. No matter. He would have to deal with it tomorrow. Tooth was driving him today; maybe he could talk to her.

()()()

Summer stared at her ceiling, the cracks in the roof obvious. She had stared at the ceiling so many times in her lifetime that she had created a virtual diagram of the starlit sky on it. There was the Big Dipper, Pegasus, Orion's Belt, Cassiopeia . . .

"Summer!"

The sharp voice brought her back to the cold reality that was her home. Then she saw her walls, painted black and bare. Her drawings scattered about the floor. Her twin sized bed crammed into the small space. The dresser on the other side of the room which was only a yard or so away.

"_Summer!_"

There was her sister again. The teenager dragged herself out of her bed and stuck her head out of the door. "What the hell do you want?!"

"Come do the dishes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

_"No!"_

"SHUT UP!" There was her mother. Probably enraged that she had been interrupted from her naps. Summer rolled her eyes and went back into her room, slamming the door shut.

She spotted the bottle of rectangular pills sitting on her dresser. Temptation crept in her stomach up to her throat and she considered it once more. Then she shook her head, trying to get what little sense she had back into her, and went back to staring at her ceiling.

_Now where was the scorpion constellation . . .?_

()()()

Jakob entered the house, the usual silence deafening around his small body. Every footstep seemed like an echo loud enough to create an avalanche. Even his quiet breathing seemed to encase his ears. It's not like he wasn't used to it already. He was definitely used to the overwhelming amount of silence that came with his father always being away from home. His house had been near silent ever since his mother had died.

He shook that thought away from him as he entered his room. The first thing he noticed was the skeleton strapped to his ceiling. Granted, it was the kind of skeleton you get from the store for a science room's decoration, but most people got freaked out by it when they saw it. That's when they'd notice everything else in his room.

His walls, originally painted a baby blue, couldn't even be seen behind the amount of posters pinned to them. Some were of bands, mostly hard metal or punk rock, and other posters were scenes from horror movies like Sweeney Todd or Nightmare on Elm Street. There were also a bunch of his own pictures that he had drawn, which would probably frighten a lot of people.

Jakob sat down at his cluttered desk and started working on his Algebra homework. There wasn't much else for him to do.

()()()

Michael gripped his pillow as he lay on the bed, trying to get to sleep.

_Don't let me wake up, don't let me wake up . . ._ he chanted in his head.

Every time he went to sleep—he spent most of his day just sleeping—he would wish that. Why shouldn't he? Reality wasn't nearly as pleasant as his dreams. Dramatically worse, actually. He was getting tired of being bullied, giving up his money, having no one give any notice to him and just turning his back on him. Hateful words filled his mind; the usual ones that were spit at him so much he had begun to believe them.

_Who was that Jack person today? Why did he step in? No one ever steps in . . ._

Michael let it go and slowly drifted into sleep, the last thought on his mind being what one of the bullies had told him last week:

_"Just kill yourself, you good for nothing gay-boy."_

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**Reviews are greatly appreciated! I would definitely like to know what you all think of the three newest characters, especially with how you reacted to the glimpse into their personal lives. I'll be jumping around from perspective to perspective from here on out. Please review with what you thought!**


	3. Chapter 3

**For those of you that were curious, Summer is the spirit of Summer (obviously, with her name), Jakob is the spirit of Halloween (I tried to hint that with his last name 'Lantern'), and Michael is the spirit of Autumn (with his name 'Fall'). I hope you all enjoy the next chapter; I'm finally getting into the more emotional parts.**

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Weeks had passed. Jack had kept attempting to sit with Summer at lunch but she kept pushing him away and telling him to back off. Finally, he had decided to try to get whatever was bothering her out of her.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked bluntly as he sat down across the table from her. He plopped his tray down in front of him but didn't start to eat yet.

She looked up with one eyebrow raised. "Excuse me?"

"You push everyone away."

"So? I'm antisocial."

"No. I was like you last year and there was some serious depression going on with me. I want to help you."

"I don't _need _help. Leave me alone."

"That's what I said."

"Look I'm _not _you!" She stood abruptly and grabbed her backpack, leaving her half-eaten meal on the table as she stormed away. Jack jumped up and hurried after her, leaving his food.

"I get that you're not me!" he called as they wound through the halls. "But we are very similar."

"We are nothing alike."

He grabbed her arm and spun her around. The sleeve of her jacket rode up, revealing the bare skin of her arms. And a couple pale scars.

"Summer—"

She jerked her arm back, anger and embarrassment filling her features. "I said t-to lay off!" she hissed, running toward the bathroom.

"Summer, please, wait!"

She erupted into the girls' bathroom, hurrying into a stall and slamming it shut, locking the door. Jack hesitated for a moment before pushing into the bathroom after her.

"Summer . . ."

"You're not supposed to be in here." She crouched on the ground, burying her face into her knees. "This is the girls' room."

"I don't care."

"Wow. A fearless boy."

"Quit it with the sarcasm. I really want to help."

"Well you can't! You don't understand what it's like to have to go through such _stuff _where you have to cut your arms just to distract yourself! You won't ever understand what it's like!"

"I think I do."

"Yeah right."

Jack looked down at his own arm. He hiked up the sleeve to reveal scars that were much similar to the ones on Summer's arms. He'd never shown anyone what he'd done to himself. Not even the four graduates who were his closest friends. He didn't want to disappoint them. After a long pause, he stuck his limb under the door, into her view. There was a stifled gasp in reply.

"J-Jack . . ."

"Oh, so you do remember my name." He withdrew his hand and pulled down the sleeve. "Please open the door, Summer."

Slowly, but surely, the stall door opened and she came out, head down.

"It's just hard," she whispered in a quivering voice.

Jack wrapped his arms around her, hugging tightly. "I know. But I'm going to help you through it."

"How?" She started to sob quietly, her body shaking in his hold. "Everything that's wrong with my life goes on at home."

The boy bit his lip, trying to think. It was true that he couldn't protect her from whatever was going on with her if it was happening at home.

"Are you abused?" he asked quietly.

"No . . . My sisters are just mean . . . And my mother does nothing about it . . ."

The gears in his head started to turn. He slowly released her and lifted her head so she looked at him. "Do they make fun of you because of who you are?"

She sniffed and nodded. "I'm the odd one out. My sisters are perfect. Really pretty and got into elite high schools and have perfect grades . . . then I'm the one going to this public school, dress in dark clothes and don't have any interest in cheer squad . . ."

"Here." He slowly slipped off the bracelet that Tooth had given him and slipped it onto her wrist.

"This is stupid," she muttered. "I hate glitter."

"That's not the point. The point is that you should be yourself, not matter how weird people think you are because of it. Most people think this bracelet is weird and over sparkly, but when I wear it I don't care what people think because my friend had given it to me. A friend who had given me the power to be myself."

Summer gave a snort and wiped her eyes. "You sound like some cheesy movie."

"Maybe I do. But it's true."

She looked up at him. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Just remember what it means and it will. I promise."

()()()

Summer entered her household, gulping down her anxiety. She had no idea if the bracelet would have any effect on how she approached her sisters. Actually, she was nervous her sisters would notice it in the first place and try to take it. The jewelry was exactly the kind of thing they liked.

"Summer!" the eldest sister called from the kitchen. "Do my laundry, will you?"

"No," she answered. Her sister's head stuck out into the hall.

"What'd you say to me?" she growled. Her oldest sister was the one person she never ever disagreed with.

"I said no."

"And why _not?_"

"I wanted to go upstairs and write some more poetry. Plus it's your clothes."

"Oh, you think you can ignore me and not do what I ask just because you want to do your stupid poetry?"

Summer felt the bracelet rub against her wrist. She nodded. "Yes, I do." With that she headed upstairs, trying to keep her heart from beating so fast.

"Don't walk away from me!" Her sister ran after her and grabbed Summer's shoulder. The sophomore pushed her away.

"Stop it!" Summer hissed, whipping around. "I'm sick of you always trying to boss me around. I'm my own person, so quit it!" She stormed into her room and slammed the door shut, locking it.

_I can't believe I did that, _she thought, her knees shaking. _I stood up to my sister. I did what I wanted. I didn't do what she said._

A relieved, shaky laugh escaped her lips as she sunk onto her bed.

_Amazing . . . That Jack actually did help me . . . _She looked over and spotted the pills, still sitting on her dresser. _But . . . not . . . completely . . ._

()()()

Jack stared out his open window, thinking about Summer. The sun was setting, casting golden rays out over the horizon and creating great contrast to the dark trees that surrounded the orphanage's property. A couple kids were still outside, playing and laughing like always.

He really hoped that he had helped her today. It seemed like she was grateful, if not annoyed, by his attempt. But the bracelet seemed to be something that could really help her and give her courage. He hoped that it would keep her from cutting more, as well.

His eyes slid over to his bedside table, where the pouch of Dreamsand sat, untouched since that first day. With a tiny smile he reached over and picked it up, sprinkling just a touch of the sand into his palm.

"I wish that Summer will be able to just be herself . . ."

As he closed his eyes, he blew on the grains, sending them spiraling into the dusk air.

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**This chapter didn't turn out exactly as I had anticipated. But, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back! Gosh that hiatus was far too long, wasn't it? I'm sorry. But I had absolutely ZERO motivation for this story. Here is the next chapter and I hope to get reviews on it; thank you!**

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"Saturday! Saturday!" Izzie cheered, running around the halls. He had ditched his shirt and his room and was running around with his baggy shorts pulled up past his belly button. As he ran around a corner, two arms scooped him up, hoisting him up into the air upside down. A shrieked laugh escaped from his laugh as he noticed that it was Jack holding him up by his ankles.

"Hey there Iz," Jack chuckled, bobbing the small boy in the air.

"P-Put me down!" the boy giggled, giving more shrieks of joy. The sophomore laughed and flipped the boy over, setting him down.

"What happened to your shirt?"

"Room."

"Well go put it on." He bent down close and murmured in Izzie's ear, "We don't want any girls checking out your body do we?"

Izzie gave Jack a playful shove. "Shut up! Shut up!" He rushed back to his room to throw his shirt back on. Jack laughed as he watched him sprint away.

"Jack," a voice called with a touch of laughter. The sophomore looked back to find Lorelei smiling at him in the hallway. "You have visitors in the front room."

Jack grinned and walked briskly to the front room, having a few guesses on who had come to visit him. Sure enough, sitting on the couch and floor playing with a few of the toys the kids had discarded earlier was Aster, Tooth, North, and Sandy.

"Hey guys," the white-haired boy greeted as he joined Sandy on the floor. Sandy grinned and gave him a hug. "Nice to see you too, Sandy."

The Australian settled back against the sofa's cushion. "How's school been, Frostbite?"

"All right, I guess."

"You guess?" Tooth gave him a worried look. "You're not getting bullied are you?"

"No, I'm fine. It's just . . . I met these three kids and they . . . They seem to have pretty rough lives right now."

"Tell us about 'em," Aster offered.

"Well there's this girl Summer,"—North gave a giggle and nudged Aster, who shot him an annoyed glance—"and she doesn't fit in. Anywhere. Not even at home. She hates—well, I don't know about hate, but she dislikes her sisters because they're mean to her. I think she trusts me a bit more than before, but I don't know how to really get though and help her . . ."

"She just has to be herself and not care what her sisters think," Tooth explained, kneeling down next to Jack. "You can help her by being there for her."

"Yeah, I guess . . ."

The eccentric graduate glanced down and noticed something missing from Jack's wrist. "Where's my bracelet . . .?"

"Oh, uh, right . . . Um, I gave it to Summer. Because she was afraid to be herself and you had told me that it would remind me to just be myself so I thought . . ." Jack bit his lip, afraid that Tooth would be upset. After all, she had given the bracelet to _him _to wear, not some girl that she never met.

Instead Tooth smiled. "Well, okay. I think she'll need it."

Jack looked up. "Really . . .?"

"Of course. I can't be mad at you for wanting to help someone."

The sophomore smiled, relieved. "So why did you guys come here anyway?"

"We can't come visit a friend?" North asked.

"Of course you can! I just didn't know if it was for something else."

"Well there was a reason," Tooth admitted with a knowing grin.

"What is it?" He looked around at them.

North nudged Aster once again and the Australian stood up. He held out a small lumpy package and gave a sheepish grin. "For you."

"Really? It's not even my birthday." He slowly took the poorly wrapped package—used brown paper bags and twine—and opened it up as carefully as he could. He found a snowy white handkerchief folded up neatly inside.

"You like winter," Aster explained as he sat back down. "So it's white like snow. And it means the same as mine does."

Jack grinned as he pulled it out. It was brand new but didn't feel stiff as he'd expect. "I love it!" he cried with a laugh. He folded it up, still smiling as he looked up at Aster. "Thanks!"

The Australian grinned and gave him a wink. "O' course, mate."

"Kangaroo," Jack teased, and Aster's eyes narrowed. The others giggled.

"Just a small gift from us, Jack," Tooth added with a smile.

"Thanks . . ." he repeated quietly as he stared at the bright white of the cloth.

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**Again, I'm SO sorry about how long this took to write up! My muses have been silent. Hopefully they will be more active as I have thought up a couple ideas for upcoming chapters. Prepare your minds for emotions coming soon!**


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